sometimes death. they need more insulin shots daily. and for whatever reason do not greatly increase the risk of heart attacks and stroke. they have the lack of sound health communication that speak to those hispanics who are most at risk of coming down with diabetes and who already suffer from it. this means targeting communications efforts both in english and in spanish-speaking communities and specifically referring to those efforts towards areas of our culture that put us at risk most are our diets. over 23.6 million americans suffer from diabetes, and of those two million are latinos or latino descent. most over the age of 20 live with this disease. moreover, latinos are twice as likely to have diabetes than non-latino whites of similar age. they can reduce the risk for

complications if the -- if they're educated about their disease and take the proper steps to take care of themselves this means learning and practicing skills necessary to better control their blood cholesterol -- blood pressure and cholesterol level. they must exercise, receive regular checkups, as well as maintain a highly balanced diet as well as the willingness to change their dangerous eating habits. and that is difficult for a lot of us because we like our frijoles, our tortillas, our menudo. but we have to put that aside. that means eating more moderate portions or a combination of these. two people should be commended for their hard work in their attempt to educate the public about their the disease, rita torres, the actress, and

edward. regardless of age of ethnicity, they ought to be recognized for their tireless effort to raise awareness. i have been affected personally by diabetes through the loss of five members of my immediate family, my father was a proud, hardworking man, never missed a day of work for any reason until he was struck down by diabetes and ultimately needed to have a leg amputated. started with a toe, then half a leg, then the leg itself. my mother was also strong and never sickling in she, too, came down with diabetes. my two brothers and my sister fought with diabetes but ultimately lost their battle due to a lack of education and how the disease would affect their lives and not willing to change their eating habits. one recently passed away due to the fact that he could no longer afford the necessary treatment to keep his diabetes

at bay. he's not only a victim of diabetes but the high cost of health care as well. my brother-in-law was also a victim, he was a great athlete back in the day, always in great physical shape. his lesson to us is anyone, regardless of age or weight or physical condition can get diabetes. he went into dialysis and ultimately lost his life. a close friend of mine, donald hernandez, he worked for me because he needed coverage for diabetes. he left my office in two year he came back, aproached me one day and told me the only reason he was willing to come back to work was to qualify for health care benefit he is would not be able to cover otherwise. in his fight and their examples that opened my eyes to the hard realities of the disease and the need for education and awareness about diabetes, ultimately to introduce this resolution.

however a great diabetes stories are a perfect example to show it can be beat, supreme court nominee sonia sotomayor. she was diagnosed with and has lived with type one diabetes since 8 years of age. due to carefully monitoring the condition, he fought -- show she fought the disease head on and is a great example of someone who can live with diabetes. she will soon become the first latina justice of the supreme court. another example is sara rodriguez a constituent of mine, raising as a junior at rancho cucamonga, a letter winner in basketball, volleyball, and track. in order for her to lead as normal a teenage life as possible, she must test her blood sugar level eight to 20 times a day.

she will never outgrow the disease and will require care for the rest of her life. she is a brave and courageous young woman whose determination should be a great example not only to diabetes patients everywhere but to anyone facing adversity. on behalf of people like sara, congress authorized a special dibee tees program. this is a wonderful example of the government commitment to cure diabetes for people like sara and millions of others. it funds $150 million a year in type one diabetes research and is aligned with the goal of this resolution to keep us on the path toward a cure for diabetes. yet another example of a person living with diabetes, raquel martin, the grandfather of one of my interns, who has been instrumental in assisting with this resolution. he was diagnosed with diabetes 25 years ago and continues to

lead a healthy life at the age of 78. he checks his blood sugar level three times a day and is a great example of how, along with sara and judge sotomayor, that with proper care and exercise, one can survive this disease. that's why it is so important to pass the resolution which i introduced in hoping to bring awareness to those lucky enough not to have the face the disease firsthand or through the fight of the loved one. it takes a small but critical first step to help raise awareness about diabetes not only for the latino community but for all americans and all individuals impacted with diabetes. but also it's a giant step for those individuals that have suffered from diabetes for many years and lacked the ability to tell their story firsthand along with families and immediate care takers of diabetes patients who oftentimes suffer the impact of the disease more than the patient themselves. diabetes is a disease that can

and does affect anyone, democrats, republicans, black, white, latinos, asians, american indian, all nationalities this alarming statistic regarding diabetes are on the rise. with greater scope of health care debate, there is no better time to raise the awareness for preventable disease than right now and there is no better time than right now to stress that no diabetes patient should be denied because of pre-existing condition. for this reason i ask you to stand with me and fight against diabetes and pass this resolution. mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: think gentleman reserves. the gentleman from louisiana. mr. scalise: i rise in support of h.res. 69 and want to congratulate the gentleman from california on his leadership on this bill, building a bipartisan coalition to bring it to the floor under suspension. i want to recognize the 23.6

million american this is a suffer from diabetes. diabetes can lead to serious complications and premature death. people with diabetes canned take steps to control the disease. the centers for disease control said progression to diabetes for people with prediabetes is not inevitable. it show this is a those who lose weight and exercise can avoid diabetes. that's what we're trying to raise awareness about. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. mr. cardoza: i yield two minutes to my good friend. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized.

>> i rise today to support this and i want to thank my good friend joba ka for sponsoring this resolution but also for the compliment, i think you're the first person in history to say i'm a good basketball player. according to the institutes of health, mexicans are twice as likely as whites to be diagnosed with diabetes. they are 50% more likely to die from diabetes as nonhispanic whites. mexicans were twice as likely as nonhispanic white adults to be diagnosed. they were 2.5 times as likely to start treatment for end stage renal disease compared to nonhispanic white men. in 2005, hispanics were 2.5

times as lakely as nonhis pan ibbling whites to die from diabetes. in my district, it's largely hispanic. we have a higher degree of diabetes. we have a large incidence of foot problems, renal disease, blindness, numbness, loss of sensation in legs and heart attacks and strokes. type two diabetes is preventable what a good diet and exercise. it's important to target campaigns to the hispanic community to help combat the epidemic. i commend the diabetes research groups for educating the hispanic communities on diabetes issued. i'd also like to send my support toward designating july, 2009, as latino diabetes

awareness month to help raise awareness of the high rate of diabetes in hispanics and through education and prevention we can recuse the number of hispanic diabetes. that's why we need to pass -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for an additional 30 seconds. mr. green: that's why this congress needs to pass comprehensive health care reform that covers everyone so we can deal with the diabetes epidemic in our hispanic community, our african-american community, and also in our low economic community because we can deal with this, if we push the envelope back to deal with it before it gets to be where people start losing their legs. thank you again, mr. speaker, i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana. mr. scalise: i yield 10 minutes to the gentleman from georgia, mr. broun. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for 10 minutes. mr. broun: i thank the gentleman for yielding. mr. speaker, i'm a medical

doctor. i've treated diabetes for 3 1/2 or more decades. i congratulate my good friend joe baca for bringing this issue to the forefront because it is extremely important for all americans, not just only the latino community that he's focusing on here. i've seen many patients over a medical career that are latino, as well as blacks and caucasians and people from all ethnic groups. it affects everybody. no matter what their forefather, what their skin color is. and i congratulate mr. baca for bringing this forward. god tells nuss hosea 4:6, my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. as a medical doctor, i've tried to instill knowledge into my patients over this eyears. that's what this resolution is all about. i do congratulate the gentleman for bringing it forward.

we do have a problem with people being knowledgeable about diabetes and the effect that it has upon them, their families their longevity. diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in the adult population. it leads to many health problems. it leads to heart attacks and strokes. it leads to vascular disease. i real re-call as i sat here listening to mr. baca, i recall an elderly black gentleman who came to see me as a patient that i diagnosed as having diabetes. i started talking to him about diet and exercise and those types of things he didn't take care of himself. despite -- in spite of all my warnings and all the consequences he was headed toward. he wound up having a food cut off. then he had that leg cut off. i kept talking to him, his

blood sugars continued to be extremely high. wound up having the second leg cut off. eventually he had both arms and both legs removed. he was sitting in a wheelchair. when he finally got the message and started controlling his diet, taking his medications as prescribed and we finally got his blood sugar in good control. that's a sad story. i've seen many, many patients over the year that was developed renal failure, which is what diabetes leads to. it leads to the nerves in people's legs dying so that they have no feeling in their legs so they can get cuts or even the simplest little puncture or cut on their foot may lead to gangrene. that leads to amputation. may even lead to what we call a medicine septicemia, where you

have bacteria in the bloodstream, it can go to the heart and affect the valves in your heart. septicemia itself can lead to death by itself. diabetes afflicts many of our population, and it's sad that people don't have the knowledge of what that disease will lead to. and that's why i congratulate mr. baca for bringing this forward, and i do support this legislation. mr. speaker, when i was practicing medicine in rural south georgia i had a small auto mated lab in my -- automated lab in my office down there. and congress passed a bill called the clinical laboratory improvement act. my lab was totally automated. i had quality control to make sure that the results were absolutely accurate so that when i checked a patient's blood sugar that i would know

what it was, to know if they had the potential, prediabetes, or whether they had frank diabetes. i would do a fasting blood sugar that would help me diagnosis their condition. well, congress passedcallya, the clinical -- passed clea, the clinical laboratory act. eventually i got my lab back up after i jumped through the hoops that were acquired by the legislation, by the regulatory burden placed on me. prior to clea, a patient would come in and i would take a history and physical would suspect that they may have diabetes. some patients would get a family history of diabetes, and so i would do a screening test of a fasting blood sugar. i charged $10 for that test,

mr. speaker. after clea shut me down i had to send patients over to the hospital. the hospital was charging $35 for same test. and once clea came along it actuallyncreased and i got my lab opened back up, i had to charge $35 as the hospital was charninging. the hospital went to, i think, $75 for the very same test. the point i want to make here is this regulatory burden on the health care industry marketedly raised the price for that one test. and what we see across the health care industry when government gets involved in health care decisions such as it did with clea, it drives up the costs for all of us. as a physician who used to be a provider for medicare patients, i'm not now for many reasons,

but as a preferred provider i could not see many patients as i did previously for free. many, many patients, poor patients, people who had no insurance would come into my office and i would see them for free. i have literally given away hundreds of thousands of dollars of free health care provision in my office, give free tests, free screening tests for diabetes, for many conditions, but under current federal law physicians who accept medicare cannot do that. that makes no sense, mr. speaker. and it is so today because of federal regulation. congress passed hipaa, the health insurance portability and privacy act. that has cost the health care

industry billions of dollars and has not paid for the first aspirin to treat the headaches that it's created. and it was totally unneeded. mr. speaker, the point i'm trying to make is that the american people need to know that the more the federal government gets into the health care business, the more regulatory burden that's placed on physicians and hospitals, the higher the costs go. in the nonstimulus bill we put a chunk of money, a huge chunk of money for something called comparative effectiveness research. and what i'd like my colleagues and the american people to know, mr. speaker, is that this is a process put into place by the democratic majority that's going to prevent those 78-year-old people that my friend, mr. baca, talked about from getting the care that they need.

because it's going to be deemed as some federal bureaucrat says it's not effective comparatively to provide the dialysis for that 78-year-old that mr. baca was talking about. it's not going to be effective to try to prevent the blindness . it's not going to be effective to provide care to people who now are getting care. and we're going to have a tremendous denial or delay of services. i've said on this floor in special orders that this comprehensive health care bill that's being debated right now in committees and it's going to be presented on this floor eventually. the speaker wants to have it come up before we leave for the august recess. it's literally going to kill people.

and i've been chastised in the liberal media for making that claim, but it's going to kill people for this simple reason, mr. speaker. and the american people need to understand this. people are going to be denied services. they are going to have a marked delay in their being able to get the screening test they need for colon cancer. or for evaluation of their chest pain or they're going to have a marked delay as we see in canada and great britain today of being able to get their bypass surgery. so diabetic patients who have deloped coronary artery disease and have anginopancreas or may have had a heart attack, are going to have a delay to get their stints put in and people are going to die.

mr. speaker, i've see patients over and over again -- mr. scalise: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from georgia. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia is recognized for two minutes. mr. broun: i've seen patients over and over again with these consequences of diabetes. mr. speaker, i've given away hundreds of thousands of dollars of my services over my career. i want people to have access to health care they do today. it requires every emergency room in this country to evaluate and treat everybody who walks in. so the question of access is not a true question of the debate today. we hear about 47 million people , the numbers keep growing by the democratic side. the american people need to understand that a lot of those

people are illegal aliens who come here illegally. now, i understand why. they're coming here for work, for their families, and i feel for them but they've still broken the law. and american citizens are going to be denied treatment, denied x-rays, denied their coronary bypass surgery, denied their dialysis and all these things because of this comprehensive health care plan that's being shoved down the throats of the american people. this is not the proper way of doing it. c.b.o. just last week said it's not going to lower the cost of health care. c.b.o. just last week said it's not going to put people in the insured category. c.b.o. last week said it's going to cost at least 750,000 jobs in america. the more government fwets

involved in the health care -- gets involved in the health care business the higher the cost goes, the less efficient it is and the democratic plan is going to destroy the quality of health care and the american people, mr. speaker, needs to stand up and say no and say yes to a health care plan that makes sense, that lower the cost of care for all americans. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from california. mr. baca: well, thank you very much. first of all, i appreciate some of the comments that my colleague from georgia, the doctor, ended up making. and it is about knowledge, education and awareness. and it's about preventive because preventive really is the key to saving money. once you do the early detection, early prevention, then we could save a lot of lives on the account of treatment because in his statement he indicated that many of the people he treated, those are people i recognize in terms of my own personal family that lack that kind of knowledge, that kind of awareness and did not follow the doctor's orders in terms of

what they should be doing to preserve their life. that's why it's very important that we create this kind of legislation to recognize diabetes awareness for all americans because it impacts all of us. with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from louisiana. mr. scalise: thank you, mr. speaker. it's important that we continue working to find cause -- the causes and the treatments, education and make sure that we are researching properly to find cures for diseases like diabetes. the broader question of health care reform, i think my friend from georgia did a really good job of talking about the challenges and the concerns that so many of us over on this side have of this proposal that's before us, not here in this bill but being debated here in this congress in these coming weeks, this week, last week. this proposal of a government takeover of our health care system. i think it shows that while there are definitely ways to

approach this in a bipartisan fashion where there are many areas of health care reform that many of us agree need to be made to improve outcomes, to improve access, to focus on that narrow group of people who don't have access to care. i think the real danger is going down the road of a government takeover where government literally is interfering in the relationship of a doctor and a patient. as this bill would do, the bill that's been filed by the administration, by some of the members of this democratic leadership. i think there are some great problems. we need to look at the neighbors that's gone down the same road. look at canada. canada has a government-run health care system. many people with the means from canada cop to america to get good care. the same thing in england. there was a tragic story in england which has a government-run system. just yesterday there was a young man, a 22-year-old who died because he was not allowed to get a liver transplant.

the government system. and i quote. he did not qualify for a donor liver under strict n.h.s. rules. his own mother said these rules are really unfair. they have a government-run system that's very similar to the proposal that's being pushed by the president to have this government takeover of health care. we actually had an amendment in committee last night in the energy and commerce committee that would have prohibited a government-run system from being able to have a bureaucrat interfere in the relationship between a patient and their doctor. our amendment was defeated. it clearly shows that a government-run system would have a doctor-patient relationship to be interfered with by a government bureaucrat here in washington. that's not health care reform. that's rationing of health care. so we need to hopefully go back to the table and have a true bipartisan debate because there are many proposals on the table, bills that have been filed. i'm a co-sponsor of a number of them.

it addresses some of the problems that exist in health care to allow companies to pull together so they can get the same power of a small business that a large business does. dedon't need to rely on their employer's plan if they don't like their employer's plan. and open up the issues of waste, fraud and abuse. that's what we're concerned about. i think it's important that we raise awareness in education for diseases like diabetes. and i do want to thank the gentleman with a good arm from california for his leadership on this issue because he has i think taken this issue and approached it in a good bipartisan way. hopefully we can do the same with the broader area of health care reform. and with that i yield back, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from california. mr. baca: does the gentleman yield back all of his time? mr. scalise: yield back all of my time, yes, sir. mr. baca: i want to thank both sides for a bipartisan support on this resolution. i look forward to the strong

support. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. all time has expired. the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 69. those in favor signify by saying aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended and the resolution is agreed to. mr. broun: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia. mr. broun: i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, proceedings will resume on motions to suspend the rules previously ordered. -- previously postponed. votes will be taken in the following order. house resolution 270 by the yeas and nays, senate concurrent resolution 30 by the yeas and nays, house concurrent

resolution 123 by the yeas and nays, h.r. 1933 by the yeas and nays and h.r. 2632. the first electronic vote will be conducted as a 15-minute vote. remaining electronic votes will be conducted as five-minute votes. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from georgia, mr. scott, to suspend the rules and agree to h.res. 270, on which the yeas and nays were ordered. the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 270. resolution recognizing the establishment of hunters for the hungry programs across the united states and the contribution -- hunger and help feed those in need. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to the resolution. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a 15-minute vote.

[captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are --

the speaker pro tempore: on

this vote the yeas are 418, the nays are one. 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to and without objection a motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from connecticut, mr. courtney, to suspend the rules and agree to s.con.res. 30, on which the yeas and nays were ordered. the clerk will report the title of the concurrent resolution. the clerk: senate concurrent resolution 30, concurrent resolution commending the bureau of labor statistics on the occasion of its 125th anniversary. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution s.con.res. 30. members will record their votes by electronic device. members, this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of

representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: the yeas are 421, the nays are 2. 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the concurrent recent lution is agreed to and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon table. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the the

gentleman from connecticut, mr. courtney and agree to h.con.res. 123, on which the yeas and nays were ordered. the clerk will report the title of the concurrent resolution. the clerk: concurrent resolution recognizing the historical and national significance of the many contributions of john william heisman to football. the speaker pro tempore: will the house suspend the rules and agree to the house resolution 123. members will record their votes by electronic device.. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 423, the nays are zero. 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the on concurrent resolution is agreed to and the the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the the gentleman from georgia, mr. johnson, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1333 on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1933, a bill to direct the attorney general to make an annual grant to the child missing alert and recovery center to assist law enforcement agencies in the recovery of

missing children and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the will. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 417, the nays are five. 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to

reconsider is laid on the table. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from georgia, mr. johnson, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2632 on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 2632, a bill to amend title 4 united states code to encourage the display of the flag of the united states on national korean war veterans armistice day. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill. members will record their votes by electronic device. members, this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 421, the nays are zero. 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the house will be in order. the house will be in order. if members could please take their conversations to the

cloakroom. for what purpose does -- pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on the motion to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the yeas and nays are ordered. or on which the vote incurs objection under clause 6 of rule 20. for what purpose does the gentleman from massachusetts rise? mr. lynch: madam speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 3119. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 3119, a bill to designate the facility of the united states postal service

located at 867 stockton street in san francisco, california, as the lim poon lee post office. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. lynch, and the gentleman from utah, mr. chaffetz, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. lynch: madam speaker, i now yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman will suspend. the house is not in order. the gentleman may proceed. mr. lynch: madam speaker, as chairman of the house subcommittee with jurisdiction over the united states postal service, i am pleased to present h.r. 3119 for consideration. this legislation will designate the united states postal

facility located at 867 stockton street in san francisco, california, as the lim poon lee post office. introduced by the speaker of the house, ms. pelosi of california, on july 7, 2009, and reported out of the oversight committee on july 10, 2009, by unanimous consent, h.r. 3119 enjoys the strong support of the entire california house delegation. born in hong kong in 1911, lim poon lee and his family immigrated to san francisco, california, when he was only 8 months old. following his distinguished service as a united states army counterintelligence specialist during world war ii, mr. lee received his undergraduate education at the college of the pacific and his doctorate degree. mr. lee would then go on to serve his beloved san franciscan community through his long-time service as a social worker,

juvenile probation officer and as a writer for the monthly chinatown news magazine "chinese gazette." in 1966, mr. lee achieved further distinction when he was selected by president johnson for appointment as the post master of san francisco. notably, mr. lee's appointment at the time was the highest federal appointed post ever held by a chinese american. mr. lee's subsequent 14-year tenure as the post master of san francisco was marked by his dedicated and successful effort to increase the hiring of minority and disabled persons as well as the inauguration of an alcohol recovery program for post office employees. during his later years, mr. lee continued his admirable commitment to public service through his service as a methodist chaplain and his membership on the boards of several community organizations, including the chinatown ymca and

the -- wymca. additionally, mr. lee was -- wmca. dirly, mr. lee was known as the master of ceremonies for the annual chinese year pa laid. regrettably, mr. lee pass aid way in 2002 at the age of 91. madam speaker, let us honor this dedicated public servant and distinguished chinese american and postle employee through the passage of this legislation to name the post office in his honor. and i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting h.r. 3119 and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from utah, mr. chaffetz. mr. chaffetz: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. chaffetz: i rise today in support of h.r. 3119, to designate the facility at the

united states postal service located at 867 stockton street in san francisco, california, as the lim poon lee post office. born in 1911, in hong kong, lim poon lee moved to san francisco with his family when when he was just 8 months old. the son of a laundry operator, mr. lee went onto college, graduate school and law school after serving a as a u.s. army counterintelligence specialist during world war ii. he often told stories about serving in japan and how he was the only u.s. army representative there who spoke japanese, chinese and english. his multilingual skills helped to quell a riot between chinese p.o.w.'s and their japanese captors when news of the japanese surrender came through. after serving in world war i, he -- ii he continued mediating and became a social worker and juvenile probation officer. he was also very much a community activist and worked with the chinese community, world war ii veterans and the democratic party. in addition to working as a campaign organizer for many local democrats, mr. lee was also a founding member of the chinese american democratic

club, an organization that played a key role in securing rights for chinese americans. for his tireless efforts in the san francisco community, in 1966 mr. lee was appointed post master of san francisco. at the time it was the highest federal appointed post ever held by a chinese american. though mr. lee once said his only experience with the u.s. postle system was, quote, walking up to the window and putting down a nickel for a four-cent stamp, end quote, mr. lee mastered the nuances of his new position. during his 14-year tenure, mr. lee greatly increased the hiring of minority and disabled persons and even started an alcoholic recovery program. best said by retired california state senator burton, quote, by the time lim finished with it, it looked like the face of san francisco, with asian, african-american, latino and female workers. perhaps most notable was his establishment of the post office in the heart of chinatown in

1977. recently this post office celebrated its 30th anniversary and fittingly, recognized mr. lee for his significant contributions. . he passed away on june 7, 2002. his legacy remains beyond the post office. the executive director of the voter education committee reflected on mr. lee's life. quote. at a time when few few role models, he was one of chinese americans could look up to. to his contributions, let us recognize his years of service by naming the post office he established in san francisco, california as the lim poon lee post office. thank you, madam speaker and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from

massachusetts. mr. lynch: i would like to yield for such time as she may consume tohe gentlelady from california, the speaker of the house, ms. pelosi. the speaker pro tempore: the speaker of the house is recognized for as much time as she may consume. the speaker: i thank the gentleman for yielding and commend him and the ranking member for bringing this resolution to the floor about a great personality. it's so -- such a cause of celebration for all of us in san francisco to see lim poon lee so recognized on the floor of the house of representatives. thank you both for your kind words about him. those of us who knew him and worked with him take great joy in the celebration we have here today. and i also rise in support of the legislation to commemorate the life and achievements of lim poon lee. the first chinese-american post master in the united states. today, the house has the opportunity to honor his

lifetime of public service and proud patriotism by naming the post office in the heart of san francisco's chinaatown, the lim poon lee post office. lim poon lee came to these shores from hong kong as an infant. like many immigrants, his family so loved this country that he spent his entire life in public service. during world war ii he served as a counterintelligence specialist and worked in the juvenile court system in san francisco and he served as one of my predecessors in congress. and congressman phillip burton as a field representative. in 1966, president johnson appointed lim poon lee post master of san francisco. at the time, it was the highest federal appointtive post ever held by a chinese american.

lee transformed the postal system by increasing the hiring of women, minorities and disabled postal workers. we knew that beauty is in the mix and he worked to ensure that while hiring that the post office looked like the rest of the city in terms of its great diversity. in 1977, lim poon lee established san francisco chinaa delope town's post office. today, we have the opportunity to name that post office for him. as we honor him, we recognize his family and his wife katherine and his children and his grandchildren. they helped make this -- his success possible. as was mentioned by my colleague, mr. lynch, mr. lee passed away in 2002 at the age of 91. his absence is felt throughout

san francisco as wasals mentioned and was the master of ceremonies for the asian parade and leader on many distinguished boards and commissions. all who knew him knew him to be a larger than life personality. all of whom knew it took a larger than life personality to be a field representative. i pay tribute to the life of the first chinese-american post master, at the time the highest appointed office in the land appointed by lyndon johnson, by supporting this legislation naming the post office in honor of lim poon lee. and i thank you for your leadership. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady, speaker of the house, yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from tow rise mr. chaffetz: given this is speaker pelosi's bill. we did take a little harder

closer look and happy to report this is an outstanding, stunning american. and i appreciate the speaker bringing this bill. he is a great american and somebody i hope our community across this country can look up to. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: at this time, i would like to yield to the gentleman from california, mr. honda, for three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for three minutes. mr. honda: thank you, madam chair and i appreciate the leadership of the committee for bringing this resolution forward. h.r. 3119, i rise in strong support of this legislation honoring the first chinese-american post master general in the united states lim poon lee by naming the post office after him. he was the highest ranking federal appointed official.

he served the united states in world war ii as a counterintelligence specialist who spoke three languages as was mentioned before. during his tenure as post master germ, he worked to change the face of the post office by hiring women, ethnic minorities and disabled. he was a key actiontivist against the chinese exclusionary act and he served as a social worker, probation officer and preacher and served on numerous boards and councils. and it is fitting to say that we look into the back groupeds of folks to see if they are -- backgrounds of folks if they should be honored in this way. when we talk about him, it's obvious he contributed quite a bit to his country. one more thing we need to understand, he also was a victim of anti-asian legislation in this country and when he was

able to reach and attain a certain level of responsibility, i think he also understood this concept of not perpetrating these kinds of behaviors but correcting it and making it easier for other folks to be able to participate in this country. and that's why he is being recognized in being able to work with other folks. and i guess that's what we call acking -- acting affirmatively and he understood how to implement things affirmatively and extending the concept and the principles of the constitution of this country. i and other members of the caucus have worked to highlight the accomplishments of and contributions to american society made by asian-american-pacific aislers.

and i thank the speaker and other leaders for bringing forth this resolution and i rise in support to honor a pioneering chinese american who contributed much to this country. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: madam speaker, i want to thank speaker pelosi for bringing this bill forward and i thank representative honda for his remarks and ranking member for his comments as well. and i ask all members join us in honoring lim poon lee by naming the san francisco chinaatown post office in his honor and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3119. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended -- the gentleman from utah. mr. chaffetz: i ask for the yeas and nays.

the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays have been asked for. the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered, pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan rise? >> madam speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 56 as amended.

the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the joint resolution. the clerk: house joint resolution approving the renewal of import restrictions contained in the burmese freedom and democracy act of 2003 and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, mr. levin and mr. brady each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin. mr. levin: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. levin: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. levin: i urge members to support this joint resolution which renews the import ban under the burmese freedom and democracy act of 2003. the joint resolution is necessary because the troubling human rights conditions in burma

persist and thus, renewal of the import ban is warranted. burma's military continues to be one of the world most repressive and abusive regimes. and while some have voiced concerns about the effectiveness of unilateral sanctions, burma remains a major violate of human basic rights which is important to renew the ban for another year. for over 45 yorse, burma has been under the rule of regimes dominated by an ethnic group. not only have these military rulers suppressed democracy but they have denied basic human rights to their citizens. the burma regime continues to hold one under house arrest. she has been detained for 14 of the last 20 years and currently

on trial because an uninvited american swam to her home this year. most expect she will be found guilty of violating the terms of her house arrest, and giving the hunta an excuse to hold her. burma's legal system is a mock erie to justice and democratic principles. in the current trial, nearly 2,000 additional political prisoners are being held, most without ever being formally charged. they are arresting and detaining regular citizens in pro-democracy activists. this past weekend, at least 50 members of the opposition national league for democracy party -- were participating in

the ceremony marking the death of the country's independent hero. these political activists were released later in the day. other activists are not so fortunate. they often disappear for days, weeks and months and some may never return. in prison, they are subjected to physical abuse, receive little food, lack clean water and are refused sufficient medical care. they suffer and so do their families, who may never discover the fate of their loved ones. bumplea's disregard extends far beyond its prison walls. violence and ethnic discrimination against children and women and ethnic minorities continue. there have been a number of reports of burmese soldiers raping and killing teenaged girls. those who commit these acts are rarely, if ever, brought to

justice by this repressive regime. additionally, worker rights remain restricted. women and girls continue to be subjected to trafficking for purposes of prostitution and children are often forced into military service. forced labor is frequently used to support military operations and infrastructure. villagers are forced to build and repair military camps with materials they must buy or provide themselves. it is burma's suppression of democratic principles, such as freedom of speech and assembly and the regime's refusal to provide basic human rights that leads me to your knowledge my colleagues to extend the ban on the import of burmese products for another year. i commend prime minister gordon brown and secretary general for the recent statements calling on

the junta to end its oppression and i hope that nations around the world and particularly china and india will work with the united states to pressure the burmese military regime to embrace reform and address its troubling human rights records. secretary clinton's attendance at this week's summit presents an important opportunity to renew this work. madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. and i ask if i might yield the balance of our time to representative crowley of new york. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time? mr. levin: i do. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas, mr. brady. mr. brady: madam speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for as much time as he may consume. mr. brady: madam speaker, i rise in support of house joint resolution 56. our burma sanctions are meant to promote democracy, develop a respect for human rights and improve living conditions for the burmese people. unfortunately the ruling junta's still working against, not toward, these objectives. for that reason i'm in favor of re-authorizing our overall sanctions program against burma for another three years and extending import sanctions against burma for another year. burma's regime's one of the world's most repressive and continues to oppress democratic movements in hue -- and humanitarianism. opposition leader is still being falsely detained by the regime now on sham charges. as of april, the regime held an estimated 2,100 political prisoners, more than 150 of them who were recently sentenced to prison terms of up to 104 years. many of these prisoners were held for nearly a year without charge. and were convicted of offenses

relating to their participation in prodemocracy movements. the regime also jailed three lawyers representing opposition activists for contempt when the attorneys merely argued that the trials of their clients lacked due process. the regime also severely restricts freedom of assembly, expression, association, movement and reasonable. the burmese region does not limit its repugnant behavior to civic activists. extra judicial killings, rape, torture, recruitment of child soldiers and forced labor are routine. moreover, the regime has actually worked against the interests of its people following the may, 2008, cyclone. due to the regime's practice of applying unreasonable restrictions to humanitarian assistance workers, the area the cyclone hit hardest continues to be in dire need of assistance. the leaders of the regime will

have greater incentive to cooperate with the united states diplomatic effort, the southeast asian neighbors and the people's republic of china. if its leaders and cronies come under targeted economic pressure, that denies them access to personal wealth and sources of revenue. some burmese business people with ties to the junta are now starting to feel the pinch, but there's a long way to go. another reason we authorize the sanctions program and extend the import ban for another year is that this congress amplified the program last summer. the expansion eliminated trade and jewelry containing burmese rubies and jade, even if the jewelry was made and exported from a third country. it was designed to bring about multilateral pressure on the regime through the united nations and the world trade organization, similar to successful legislation on conflict diamonds. we're still in the process of

assessing the effectiveness of the new law. the general accountability office will be reporting to us this fall on the effectiveness of the expanded sanctions and will be making representations for improving the administration of the program. it would be unwise for us to allow the lapse of this sanctions program without having the benefit of the g.a.o.'s research and report. i view import sanctions with great skepticism and always have. but these burmese -- burma sanctions are crafted to maximize their ability to affect change. for one, they require the administration to issue annual reports on burma that include whether u.s. national security, economic and foreign policy interests are being served. on this point, i note that the administration transmitted this year's statutorily required report late last night. we're still waiting for the administration to articulate its overall burma policy. the state department announced it would be conducting a high

profile review some six months ago but it's not out yet. and our secretary of state will be showing up at meetings tomorrow and thursday with no new vision. perhaps the most critical aspect of the burma sanctions program is that they require us to redirect our attention every summer to the question of whether these angst -- sanctions should be conditioned -- continued. they're not self-executing. we here in congress must vote to continue them on an annual basis. i continue to believe that our greatest hope for affecting real change in burma is multilateralism. the whole world, particularly china and asian countries, must put real economic pressure on the regime. i support this resolution because it increases our chance to bring about this multilateral effort. and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. without objection, the gentleman from new york will control the

remaining time on h.j.res. 56 on behalf of the majority. mr. crowley: at this time i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized without objection. mr. crowley: madam speaker, i rise this evening in support of the burmese freedom and democracy act and let me thank both my friend from texas for his comments as well as my friend from michigan, will levin, for his comments as well. in regards to this legislation. this legislation was first enacted in 2003 under the leadership of the former chairman of the house foreign affairs committee and my good friend, tom lantos. tom spend his life fighting for freedom and democracy for those who couldn't fully defend emselves. he is greatly missed here in the house of representatives but his legacy remains and i have been proud to carry and to help carry on his efforts to secure democracy in burma. and former chairman lantos would be pleased that we're considering the burmese freedom

democracy act. this legislation will re-authorize the current sanctions on imports from burma's military regime for an additional three years as well as maintain the ban on the importation of jade and other gems from burma. i introduced the burmese freedom and democracy act because we must show the military regime currently ruling with an iron fist in burma that there are consequences for their actions. burma's military regime is carried out a brutal campaign againstity own people. it has destroyed 3,000 villages, forced over one million people to flee as refugees and has used rape as a weapon of war and has pressed millions of civilians into forced labor. modern day slave labor. the junta has also rejected recent diplomatic outreach which would have been well received in the global community. specifically the junta refused

united nations secretary general ban king moon's request to release political prisoners, including the leader of the nonviolent movement for democracy and human rights in burma. not only do the junta refuse his release, they even refused ban king moon's request to meet with her. the burmese regime must be stopped. if passed, the burmese freedom and democracy act will supplement president obama's actions on may 15, when he renewed investment prohibitions against the burmese military regime that began during president clinton's term in office. the united states is not alone in using sanctions as part of a diplomatic strategy to help promote change in burma. the european union renewed its common position on sanctions and canada, australia and new zealand and others have

unilaterally imposed their own restrictions. the other legitimate leaders of burma have also called on the world to impose sanctions on their own country. just as desmond tutu and the leading -- leaders of the struggle to end apartheid in south africa called for sanctions on south africa in the 1980's. we must maintain our sanctions against the junta in burma and i call on all my colleagues to vote for the renewal of the burmese freedom and democracy act and with that, madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas. mr. brady: madam speaker, we have no further speakers and in support of this resolution, i would yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from new york. mr. crowley: i thank the gentleman from texas and, madam

speaker, at this point in time we have no further speakers and would yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass house joint resolution 56. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. and the resolution is as amended. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the joint resolution is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from massachusetts rise? mr. lynch: madam speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 534. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 534, resolution supporting the goals and ideals of national children and families day. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. lynch, and the gentleman from utah, mr. chaffetz, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. lynch: madam speaker, i now yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for such time as he may consume. mr. lynch: madam speaker, i rise in support of h.res. 534, the resolution supporting the goals and ideals of national children and families day. the strength of our nation relies heavily upon the future success of today's children, to

ensure their success, families across the nation work hard to instill resiliency, health and wisdom in their children. this bill was introduced on june 11 and was referred to the committee on oversight and government reform. the committee reported the bill by unanimous consent on june 10 and it comes to the house floor today with bipartisan support from over 56 co-sponsors. madam speaker, the american families together make tremendous sacrifices each day to ensure the quality of their child's development. families play a critical role in the care of children, including their health and developmental needs. families also include those with children of special needs. those should be encouraged to create supportive environments to foster confidence and self-esteem. madam speaker, house resolution 534 gives us the opportunity to celebrate and reflect upon the roles that all these familieses play in developing well-rounded,

well-educated children and the positive outcomes this creates for the nation's future. we sincerely thank them for their contribution to our country and with that, madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from utah rise? mr. chaffetz: thank you, madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for such time as he may consume. mr. chaffetz: madam speaker, i rise today in support of h.res. 534, supporting the goals and ideals of national children and families day. families have long played a critical role in the development of america's youth and well-being of our society as a whole. with this resolution, we celebrate those who create a positive family atmosphere and for the many families who commit to the challenging task of raising healthy, productive, young men and women. over the two years -- over the years, we have learned that the families who provide ethical and moral guidance are the lynch pins of our nation. we depend on our families to encourage education, arouse

curiosity and cultivate a safe, supportive environment that contribute to self-confidence. at this time in history our youth are increasingly exposed to under desirable influences and because of that it becomes all the more important for family units to pull together as a team, listen to one another and to work through life's issues. by spending time engaging in family activities such as volunteering for community service projects, children can learn that service to others benefits all tho who participate. either those who need assistance or those who volunteer to serve them. creating these strong family environments will ultimately result in a new generation of well-rounded leaders for our country. by celebrating national children and families day on the fourth saturday in june, the country recognizes the importance of families as well as our country's greatest natural resource, the children of our nation. i find it interesting that today, july 21, was my mother's birthday.

and to be able to ask to speak on this is special to me. . she passed away in 1995. i miss her dearly. i would encourage my colleagues to stand up and support this resolution. with that i will reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from utah reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. mr. lynch: thank you, madam speaker. at this point i would take great pleasure to yield for five minutes to the gentlelady from maryland, the lead sponsor of this resolution, ms. donna edwards, again for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from maryland is recognized for five minutes. ms. edwards: thank you, madam speaker. thank you, mr. lynch and mr. chaffetz. i'm really excited to be here today to rise in support of my resolution, house resolution 534, supporting the goals and ideals of national children and families day. on a note i would just say to

mr. chaffetz, part of what moved me in introducing this resolution with my colleague from michigan, candice miller, was the relationship i've had with my own family and parents and grandparents and extended family recognizing the very special role that families play in the lives of children in growing them and nurturing them. and especially in sometimes a very troublesome world. i'd like to thank chairman towns for the leadership and the government oversight and reform committee for his support of this resolution. i'd also like to thank all the co-sponsors of the resolution from both sides of the aisle, all of us who recognize the value of families and the importance to our children. and particularly the the gentlewoman from michigan, mrs. miller, herself soon-to-be a new grandmother, who understands the role that she's played in her children's lives and soon-to-be in a grandchild's life.

house resolution 534 brings together a really diverse group of members to recognize and celebrate the roles that families play in the development of our greatest national resource and the future of this nation, our children. national children and families day an opportunity to recognize the importance of families in raising children. families, however they are defined, improve the quality of life and social development of children. it's within the family unit that a child first learns how to interact with others and how to cope with challenges. children's early development depends largely on their parents , extended family, and other caregivers. as such children thrive when they are raised in an environment of close dependable relationships that provide love, nurturing, security, and encouragement. all areas of a child's development, cognitive, social, and physical development are are

interconnected. physical families play critical roles in the care of their children meeting nutritional needs and keeping them out of harm. socially and psychologically it's important to consider how we create an environment that will foster socially well adjusted children, one who is in good mental health. cognitive development is linked inat this mittly to psychological -- intimately to psychological welfare. these are the things that happen within families. national children and families day is also a day to celebrate families. it's a special day to highlight the importance of spending time engaging in family activities that support the development of healthy and well adjusted children. families that spend time together help cultivate bonds that lay the foundation for a child's later development. well into adulthood. teaches them how to become good parents themselves. we have worked with the national children's museum which i'm excited to say will be located in maryland's fourth

congressional district that i represent just outside of washington, d.c. and the association of children's museums to encourage special events and activities that will highlight the value of spending time together and to celebrate this annual event. the local children's museums provided my son and me easy access to venues where we could spend time together, learning to care about and improve the world. as a single mother, the new seems provided us with excellent exhibits and activities that helped us in strengthening our relationship. while the composition of families has changed over time, families remain the foundation of our national child rearing structure and are critical to raising strong and resilient children. today families range widely from sing the parent families to extended families, to even extended families that care for children of our deployed service men and women. some of those families that

where both parents are deployed and the extended family becomes the nurturing ground for those children. we have experiences all across this country in which families compositions are nurturing and enriching environments for their children. we see families and their children every day here in the nation's capital visiting the historic sites in washington and surrounding counties. in this context allow me to share with my colleagues a top 10 places for families and children in the washington region. you can find that on websites across this country, including the national children's museum. this resolution will serve to remind us how valuable family activities are in the lives of children. the joy of participating in family activities however small or large will remain with a person for his or her entire life. this resolution is designed to reinforce the value of this investment of family time --

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for additional minute. ms. edwards: this resolution is designed to reinforce the val ue, investment, and family time with an annual commemoration. in conclusion i urge you to support house resolution 534. this resolution honors families of all composition that is are based in a foundation of love and care. and relationships that foster environments in which children can grow, learn, thrive, and mature. national children and families day recognizes dynamic families and their role and successfully raising our country's future. thank you, madam speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from maryland yields the balance of her time. the gentleman from utah, mr. chaffetz. mr. chaffetz: madam speaker, i have no other speakers at the moment. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: madam speaker, i just ask all members to support the gentlelady from maryland, ms.

edwards, in her resolution. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from utah. mr. chaffetz: madam speaker, i also urge the members to support the passage of h.res. 534 and yield back the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from utah yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 534. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to -- the gentleman from georgia. mr. broun: request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays have been requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20

and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from massachusetts rise? mr. lynch: madam speaker, morph that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 2972. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: h.r. 2972, a bill to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 115 west edwards street in louisiana as the conrad derouen jr. post office. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. lynch, and the gentleman from utah, mr. chaffetz, each will control 20 minutes. in this bill. the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: thank you, madam speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.

the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. lynch: madam speaker, i now yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lynch: madam speaker, as chairman of the house subcommittee with jurisdiction over the united states postal service, i am pleased to present h.r. 2972 for consideration. this legislation will designate the united states postal service facility located at 115 west edwards street in arat, louisiana, as the conrad derouen jr., office. introduced by my colleague, representative boustany, from louisiana on june 19, 2009, and reported out of committee on july 10, 2009, by unanimous consent, h.r. 2972 enjoys the support of the entire louisiana house delegation. born on february 12, 1921, conrad derouen graduated from high school in 1937 and

subsequently attended vanderbilt university, graduating with a master's degree in health and physical education. at the age of 21, conrad derouen volunteered for service in the united states marine corps and was commissioned as a second lieutenant at quantico, virginia, following additional training at camp pendleton, second lieutenant derouen was deployed to the asiatic theater during world war ii, serving with the first battalion, second marine division. in july of 1944, after serving overseas for a few months, second lieutenant derouen was involved in the battle of saipan and the mariana islands. regrettably he was gravely wounded in the neck by enemy forces and subsequently died from his wounds at the age of 23 . in recognition of his distinguished service, second lieutenant derueine posthumously received the navy cross, awarded for extreme calenttry and risk

of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force and going beyond the call of duty. as noted by the accompanying citation, second lieutenant derouen despite his wounds, quote, gallantly refused to be evacuated and remained steadfast in his station until he collapsed from pain and blood loss. additionally the citation noted by his initiative courage and devotion to his duty throughs these operations, second lieutenant derouen upheld the highest traditions of the ubs united states naval service. -- united states naval service. his life stands as a testimony to the bravery and dedication of the men and women who have offered the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation. let us together honor this distinguished marine through the passage of this legislation to designate the west edwards street postal facility in his honor. i urge my colleagues to join mr. boustany, the lead sponsor of this resolution, in supporting

h.r. 2972. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from utah. mr. chaffetz: thank you, madam speaker. i yield as much time as he may consume to my distinguished colleague from louisiana, mr. boustany. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana is recognized for as much time as he might consume. mr. boustany: thank you, madam speaker. i thank my friend and colleague from utah and my friend from massachusetts for this courtesy. madam speaker, i rise today in support of house resolution 2972, to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 115 west edwards street in louisiana as the conrad derouen jr. post office. i would like to thank the oversight and government reform committee for bringing this bill to the floor. today it's really a distinct honor for me to celebrate the life of united states marine corps reserve second lieutenant conrad c. due rouen jr., an

extraordinary hero of world war ii. a native of erath, louisiana, he graduated from high school there and went on to southwestern louisiana institute and subsequently received a master's degree from peabody college in nashville, tennessee. he married march greet domang of louisiana. and at the age of 21 he volunteered to serve in the united states marine corps. while fighting against the japanese forces at saipan in the mariana islands on july 3, 1944, lieutenant derouen endured continuous exposure of enemy fire to guide tanks into combat. when the communications systems failed, he seated himself behind the turret in order to continue resistance. in another assault on japanese forces later, on july 8, 1944,

lieutenant derouen despite being wounded in the neck from an enemy grenade refused to leave his post with the first battalion to seek medical assistance and instead continued to fight at this station. he eventually collapsed due to pain and loss of blood and was carried off the field of battle by his comrades. he finally succumbed to his wounds on a ship and was buried at sea. . his actions were an inoperation stot marines he fought beside and were a contributing factor in the success of the campaign in the marianas islands. because of his heroic death at the age of only 23 years of age, he was posthue mousely awarded the navy cross. today, i join the town of erath in honoring this fallen hero with the dedication of their post office to the name of second lieutenant con ral c. derouen jr. for being the

highest decorated veteran in its history. a real hero and someone we should all honor. and as we honor lieutenant derouen today, we must also recognize our present day heroes in iraq and afghanistan and those who have fallen and those who continue to fight and we thank them as well as their families, the families of all of our troops who put on the uniform. i now ask my colleagues to support this resolution and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana yields back his time. the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. mr. lynch: madam speaker, i have no further speakers at this time but i will continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman continues to reserve. the gentleman from utah. mr. chaffetz: it's an honor to stand and rise in support of h.r. 2972, the great american hero we know as conrad derouen. i appreciate bringing this to to our attention, look forward to having this post office named after him.

it's the least we can do for our country that's so grateful and with that i'll yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. all time being yielded back, the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2972. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia rise? mr. broun: madam speaker, i ask nor the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays have been requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 86 rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from massachusetts rise? mr. lynch: madam speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 566. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 566,

resolution congratulating the 2008-2009 national basketball association champions, the los angeles lakers, on an outstanding and historic season. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. lynch, and the gentleman from utah, mr. chaffetz, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. lynch: madam speaker, i now yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. lynch: madam speaker, as chairman of the house subcommittee on the federal workforce, postal service and on the district of columbia and on behalf of the house oversight and government reform committee, i'm pleased to join my colleagues and principally, mrs. watters from the state of california, in the crucial of h.res. 566, which provides for

the recognition of the national basketball association champion los angeles lakers for capturing their 15th nba championship. house resolution 566 was introduced by representative maxine waters of california on june 19, 2009, and currently has the support and co-sponsor of 15 members of congress, none of whom are from the city of boston. courtesy of chairman towns, the measure has been considered and approved by the oversight committee and now comes to the house floor as means of highlighting the lakers' successful 2008-2009 nba season and their finals victory. madam speaker, the los angeles lakers stand as one of the sporting history's greatest franchise. the team was founded in 1946 in detroit and moved to minneapolis where it adopted its name, the lakers, after minnesota's state nick name, land of 10,000 lakes. the lakers relocated to los

angeles in 1960 and the 1980's the lakers became one of the nba's most electrifying and successful teams, winning five championships with hall-of-famers ervin "mag" johnson, kareem, abdul-jabbar. the lakers' dominance extended into the 21st century as they won three consecutive nba championships from 2000 to 2002. and thanks to this year's impressive nba finals victory over the orlando mag, the lakers now -- magic, the lakers now boast the nba franchise record for the most wins, the highest winning percentage and the most nba final appearances. of course i would be remiss if i failed to mention that my own beloved boston celtics still hold the record for the most nba finals championships. you would think they would pick someone else to do this resolution, but i'm happy to congratulate a job well done. led by head coach phil jackson, one of the most successful coaches in nba history, and

finals m.v.p. kobe bryant, the lakers road to the nba championship was lined with its fair share of challenges. while playing in the highly competitive western conference, the lakers won the best regular season record and were dominant throughout the playoffs. for this accomplishment, madam speaker, we stand to commend the los angeles lakers franchise, the players, coaches and of course the die hard lakers fans, on a job well done. i'm sure that the lakers championship is an enormous source of pride for the residents of los angeles and the surrounding area and the great state of california as well. in closing, i urge the adoption of house resolution 566 and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from utah. mr. chaffetz: thank you, madam speaker. i sympathize with the anguish and agony that it must be in reading and supporting this resolution. my colleague from massachusetts, i can only hope that this is

truly captured on film for future use. i rise in support today as a utah jazz fan in recognizing a great accomplishment in the world of sports. what these athletes are able to do and how he do it is truly remarkable. so i rise in support of h.res. 566 to congratulate the 2008-2009 los angeles lakers and bringing home their 15th nba championship. for the lakers, this was a season of redemocrats that ultimately ended in victory and historic achievement. the conclusion of the 2007-2008 season saw the lakers experiencing a humiliating 39-point blowout to the boston celtics in game six of the nba finals. i remind my colleagues from -- my colleague from massachusetts. from that moment, this storied franchise made a commitment to redeem themselves and madely began the long process of working their way back to championship glory. one year later this long and difficult journey culminated with victory and established themselves as the standard against which every franchise in the nba will be measured.

while the entire lakers organization can be proud of this team's accomplishments, the season saw some amazing individual milestones. coach phil jackson cemented his status as one of the winningest coaches not just in the nba but in all of professional sports, capturing an unprecedented 11th championship ring. truly amazing. kobe bryant of the los angeles lakers who came to the season as the league's reigning m.v.p., coming off a summer where he helped lead team u.s.a. to the gold in beijing, won his fourth nba title and his first nba finals m.v.p. pauga sol of the lakers was selected to his second yawl star appearance, his first as a laker, and was the first spaniard to be on an nba title team. individual accomplishments aside, there is no question that this team was just indeed that, a team, receiving significant contributions from a host of players that made winning this

championship possible. shannon brown acquired as a throw-in played his way to the playoff rotation and made a number of significant three-pointers in a key playoff game. derek fisher, the old veteran guard, who was slumping his way through the playoffs, emerged in game four to hit a game-tying three with 4.6 seconds remaining, to push the game into overtime. he followed it up with a go ahead 27-footer that would give the lakers the lead and the game. collectively, this team all season long maintained their commitment to excellence and mental toughness. they were a reflection of the entire organization. the owner and general manager, hall of fame coach and they are a model of excellence. in other words, they are truly champions. i urge my colleagues to support this resolution and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: madam speaker, at this time it gives me great pleasure to recognize the lead

sponsor of this resolution, mrs. maxine waters from california for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california, ms. waters, is recognized for five minutes. ms. waters: thank you very much, madam chairwoman. i'm very appreciative for my colleague from massachusetts and his leadership on this issue and for recognizing me to stand as a proud los angeles, joined by 50 other of my colleagues, to congratulate the extraordinary los angeles lakers and the 2009 nba championship. this resolution, h.res. 5 of 6, commemorates the los angeles lakers' 15th national basketball association championship. prior to the 2008-2009 season, the lakers won 14 national basketball association championships with a cast of hall-of-famers and coaches, which included nba greats such as jerry west, wilt chamberlain,

ervin "magic" johnson, kareem abdul-jabbar, shaquille o'neal, pat riley and current head coach, phil jackson. this season, kobe bryant, lamar owe dam, derrick fisher, pau gasol led the 2008-2009 lakers to a 65-17 regular season record and the number one spot in the western conference playoffs. not only did ariza help to bring another championship to los angeles, he also attended westchester high school in my district. the lakers entered the nba playoffs with home court advantage. as a result of the team's regular season performance. and in the first round of the playoffs, the lakers defeated the utah jazz in five games to

advance to the western conference semifinals. the lakers then faced the houston rockets in the western conference semifinals, winning seven games and advancing to the western conference finals where they faced the denver nuggets. the lakers clerchinged the western conference finals in six games it thanks to the outstanding play by pau gasol and kobe bryant which closed out the series. in the nba finals, the lakers match under with the orlando mag, led by dwight howard. the lakers won the first two games of the finals in los angeles, including a hard-fought game two, during which kobe bryant and pau gasol combined for 53 points, propeling the lakers to a 101-96 victory. the lakers lost game three in orlando by a score of 108-104. however, lakers guard kobe

bryant scored 31 points and played all but eight minutes of the game. the lakers followed their loss in game three by winning the next two games in orlando to win the 2009 nba championship. for this and for his outstanding play, during the nba finals, lakers guard kobe bryant was presented with the bill russell nba finals most valuable player award and his fourth nba championship. lakers head coach, phil jackson, won his 10th nba championship as the head coach and his 12th nba championship overall. congratulations to the lakers players, coaches and staff on winning the 2008-2009 nba championship. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california

yields back her time. the gentleman from utah is recognized. mr. chaffetz: madam speaker, i assure you, i'm confident the utah jazz will be back at some point, but for now, congratulations to the los angeles lakers. i, too, will be supporting h.res. 566. congratulations, and with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from utah yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: madam speaker, i as well want to congratulate the lakers and the gentlelady from california, and i congratulate her on her resolution and for the victory that it represents and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 566. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia rise? mr. broun: madam speaker, i request the yeas and nays -- yeas and nays.

the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from massachusetts rise? mr. lynch: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, house resolution 350. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 350, resolution honoring the life and accomplishments of harry kalas for his invaluable contributions to the national pastime of baseball, the community, and the

nation. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. lynch, and the gentleman from utah, mr. chaffetz, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. lynch: mr. speaker, i now yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lynch: thank you, mr. speaker. on behalf of the house committee on oversight and government reform, i am pleased to present house resolution 350 for consideration. this resolution honors the life and accomplishment of mr. harry kalas. house resolution 350 was introduced by my colleague, representative joe sestak, on april 21, 2009, and was favorably reported out of the oversight committee by unanimous consent on june 18, gine. additionally house resolution 350 enjoys the support of over

50 members of congress. born on march 26, 1936 in naperville, illinois, harry kalas graduated from high school in 1954 and from the university of iowa in 1959. after receiving a bachelor of arts degree in speech, radio, and television. following his graduation, mr. kalas served in the united states army for two years after which he began his distinguished career in broadcasting. by calling baseball games for the university of hawaii, as well as the hawaii islanders of the triple-a pacific coast league. in 1965 mr. kalas made his major league baseball debut as the sportscaster with the houston as trose. six -- astros. six years later he embarked on a 39-year hall of fame career as a sports broadcaster with the philadelphia phillies where he was ultimately paired with his good friend and phillies hall of

famer, center fielder, richie ashburn. nicknameded heyry the k. by philly fans, he originated his "out of here" home run call in the mid 1970's. and as the near 40-year voice of the phillies called a number of memorable philadelphia and major league baseball moments. among them were the first games played at the houston astrodome, veteran stadium, and citizens bank park. also mike schmidt's 500th home run and every one of steve carlton's starts from 1972 to 1986. of course the phillies' two world series championships in 1980 and in 2008. in recognition of his distinguished career, mr. kalas received the ford c. frick award in 2002 from the national baseball hall of fame. which actually bestows the award to broadcasters who have made major contributions to the game of baseball. however, mr. kalas' career was

not limited to baseball. in addition to his work with the phillies, mr. kalas called a variety of notable sports events over the course of his nearly 50-year career and served as the long dim time noise of nfl films as featured on the hbo program, snifle -- "inside the nfl." he also lent his voice to a number of well-known commercial and television specials, but most importantly he will be equally remembered as a devoted husband to his beloved wife and father to his three sons, todd, brad, and cane. regrettably harry kalas passed away on april 13, 2009. in honor of their beloved friend and colleague, the 2009 philadelphia phillies can be seen wearing a black h.k. patch over the heart of the jerseys and mr. kalas' famous home run call can currently be heard playing in citizens bank park after every phillies homer. additionally they have renamed

their tv broadcast booth, the harry kalas broadcast booth. mr. speaker, let us further honor this distinguished american through the passage of of this commemorative resolution to honor his life and achievements. i urge my colleagues to do so in support of house resolution 350, and reserve the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from utah. mr. chaffetz: mr. speaker, i'd like to yield as much time as he may consume to my distinguished colleague and friend from the state of florida, mr. rooney. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. rooney: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you to congressman chaffetz for yielding. i wasn't planning on speaking tonight, but earlier this evening mr. chaffetz informed me that you were commemorating the life of harry kalas, and even though i represent the 16th district of florida, as many floridians i came from somewhere else. i was born and raised in philadelphia, pennsylvania. my entire childhood could

probably be summed up as being a die-hard phillies fan and i can remember clearly going down to the jersey shore in the summertime as so many philadelphians did. after being put to bed at night by my parents, sneaking out behind a table, behind the couch there, was a table and i stored an a.m. radio there. night after night listening for hours to the voice of harry kalas. the mellow, laid back voice that so many phillies fans just came to admire and love. and how many people listened to that voice for so many hours in the city of philadelphia and the philadelphia region? he truly will be missed. i always told people that i wanted to grow up and be a baseball announcer. it was because of harry kalas. somewhere i went off track. i wanted to take the time on the house floor here to commemorate the life of harry kalas and someday i hope to be a baseball announcer. and i hope to be as good as harry kalas was.

thank you, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: i thank the gentleman from florida for his remarks. and adding that personal touch. mr. speaker, i have no further speakers at this time but i'll continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from utah. mr. chaffetz: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. chaffetz: i rise in support of h.res. 350, honoring the voice of the philadelphia phillies legendary broadcaster harry kalas fors his contributions to the national pastime of baseball, to the greater philadelphia area community, and to this nation. mr. kalas graduated from the university of iowa in 1959 with a degree in speech, radio, and television. upon graduation, he was drafted into the united states army and when discharged he began working as a broadcaster. he began his 44-year career as a major league baseball broadcaster at the houston astros in 1964 . kalas called the first game at

the houston's famed astrodome. in advance of the 1971 season, he was hired by the philadelphia phillies. there he would remain for the next 39 seasons. 27 of which kalas was paired in the booth with richie "whitey" ashburn. he made many memorable calls while broadcasting for the phillies including every start of hall of fame pitcher steve carlton's philly's career, and mike schmidt's 500th home run on april 18, 1987. when he called the dramatic home run, he intoned the player's full name, michael jack schmidt. his most memorable call came last october 29 at the culmination of the championship run. as the pitcher struck out the last batter his voice erupted, the philadelphia phillies are the 2008 world champions of baseball. he had a number of signature calls but none was more famous than, "that ball is out of here" home run call.

his contribution to baseball did not go unrecognized during his careers as broadcaster. he was inducted into the broadcaster's wing of the baseball hall of fame in two. and was named pennsylvania sportscaster of the year 18 times. in addition to his work with the phillies, he was also the voice of nfl films and called various sporting events over his career, including notre dame football. sadly mr. kalas passed away here in washington, d.c., at national park in the visiting team's broadcast booth on the afternoon of april 13, 2009, while doing what he loved, preparing to cover a phillies game. i asked my fellow members to join with me in honoring harry kalas for his contributions to baseball and through that for his contributions to the community and to the nation and people like mr. rooney who grew up hearing his voice and coming to enjoy that. with that, mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to support this resolution and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: thank you, mr. speaker. i have no further speakers. i do want to ask all of our colleagues to join with the lead sponsor of this resolution, mr. sestak, in supporting his resolution honoring mr. kalas. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 350. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative -- for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia rise? mr. broun: mr. speaker, i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor ever taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

the speaker pro tempore: the chair will entertain requests for one-minute speeches. the chair lays before the house the following personal requests. the clerk: leave of absence requested for mr. lucas of oklahoma for july 20. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the requests are granted. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. poe: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that today following legislative business and any special orders heretofore entered into, the

following members may be permitted to address the house, revise and extend their remarks, and include therein extraneous material. mr. souder for today. mr. jones for july 28. ms. fox for today. mr. bilirakis for today. and mr. broun from georgia for today. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. for what purpose does the gentleman from massachusetts rise? mr. lynch: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that today following legislative business and any special orders heretofore entered into, the following members may be permitted to address the house for five minutes, to revise and extend their remarks, and to include therein any extraneous material. ms. woolsey of california for five minutes. ms. kaptur of ohio for five minutes. and mr. defazio of oregon for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2009, and

under a previous order of the house, the following members are recognized for five minutes each. mr. poe from texas. the gentleman is recognized. mr. poe: request permission to address the house for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. poe: mr. speaker, the women of iran are standing shoulder to shoulder in the streets protesting against the rig are -- rigged corrupt iranian elections. that's how it gafpblet now these legions of women, mostly wearing black, stand in defiance of their government's treatment of women. these women have shed their blood, suffered the same beatings and imprisonment as men. some have sacrificed their very lives. in america our hearts ached as we watched the video of nada. she was shot by her own government henchmen as she walked through the streets. she bled to death in that street. a martyr for democracy in iran. she was only 26 years old but

her voice still cries from the grave that the people of iran demand human rights, equality and freedom from tyranny. young women like a girl named parse, told reporters, i quote, this regime is against all humanity, more specifically against all women. she continues. lots of girls and women in these demonstrations, they are all angry, ready to explode, scream out, and let the world hear their voices. i want the world to know that as a woman in this country, i have no freedom. the women of iran have a rich history of fighting for freedom. in the early 1900's in persia, later called iran, britain and russia tried to rule persia through a puppet government. in 1906 the persian people fought the shah and became a constitutional republic. they had a congress called the mayly to make their laws. american economic expert morgan

shuster was appointed to that democratic government in 1911 to organize persia's finances. at that time members were threatened or bribed by russia with support from great britain to disband that constitutional government. shuster wrote in his memoirs about persian women who armed themselves and marched on the congress. he writes about those bold brave women. . out marched 300 women with the flush of undying determination in their cheeks. they were clad in plain black robes with white nets of veils drooped over their faces. many held pistols under their skirts or in the folds of their sleeves. straight to the congress they went. these persian mothers, wives and daughters dropped their veils, waved their pistols saying they had decided to kill their husbands and sons and leave behind their own bodies if the congress waved in their duty to

uphold liberty and dignity of the persian people and the nation. because of these courageous women 100 years ago, the persian congress stood firm in their struggle for liberty and freedom for the people. however, russian marched in day rain a week later, disband -- tehran a week later, disbanded by force. history speaks to the curning and bravery of iran an women that goes back centuries. it's no surprise they're again at the forefront of the struggle for human rights and dignity in iran. the women of iran are not property of the government. and should not be punished because they demand equality with men. these women present a great challenge for the hardline government and they are a force to be reckoned with. and the government knows it. my grandmother used to tell me that there's nothing more powerful than a woman that has made up her mind and let me tell

you something, mr. speaker, the women of iran have made up their minds. they are not going to take it anymore. and like their sisters in freedom 100 years ago, they are not going to give in to the black-booted thugs that are trying to steal freedom and human dignity from them. iran is their country. these women are no longer going to be treated as second class people and woe be to them that try to stop them. the daughters of iran have inspired the world with their bravery. their calls are righteous, their actions are just and may the all mighty that rules the universe make them strong and courageous. and that's just the way it is. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: ms. woolsey. mr. jones from north carolina. mr. jones: mr. speaker, thank you. i ask unanimous consent that i

might speak for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. jones: mr. speaker, this past sunday i read a column in the "raleigh news observer" entitled from "from vietnam 1959 to afghanistan 2009." the column was written by joseph gal way, a military journalist, and co-author of a book on vietnam called "we were soldiers once and young." mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to submit the full text of this column for the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. jones: thank you, sir. mr. speaker, perhaps the column's most point is its description of a time in 1965 when secretary of defense robert macnamara presented president johnson with a top secret memo. it indicated that the united states had reached a decision point with two available options. the first option was to arrange diplomatic cover and pull out of south vietnam. the second option was to increase the number of american

troops by 200,000, bringing the total to more than 500,000 americans on the ground. regarding this second option, mr. macnamara stated, and quote, all we can possibly achieve is a military stalemate at a much higher level of violence. i wanted to repeat that. regarding the second option mr. macnamara stated, and i quote, all we can possibly achieve is a military stalemate at a much higher level of violence, from that time when president johnson chose to escalate and continue the war until its conclusion, america suffered 56,000 more casualties. mr. speaker, president obama's administration has reached a similar decision point with regard to afghanistan. last month on june 25 of 2009 i joined congressman jim mcgovern in offering an amendment to the national defense authorization act that would have required the secretary of defense to submit a

report to congress which outlines an exit strategy for our armed forces in afghanistan. while i regret that this amendment was not approved, i still believe it's critical for the current administration to clearly articulate benchmarks for success and an end point to its war strategy in afghanistan. the men and women of our military who have served in iraq and afghanistan have done a magnificent job. we the company -- many have been deployed four or five times, but let's not forget as general petraeus has said, and i quote, afghanistan has been known over the years as the graveyard of empires. we cannot take that history lightly. end of quote, by general petraeus. that's why it's so important for this current administration to have an end point to its strategy in afghanistan. this strategy must be articulated sooner rather than later so we can avoid going down

the path of other failed empires and avoid the tragedy and mistake of vietnam when elected officials in washington never articulated an end point or an understanding of what was to be achieved. mr. speaker, i have count -- camp lejeune and i have see more johnson air force base and i've talked to many of all ranks in the marine core, they're willing to go back and back again and again and again, but we're getting to the point where we're about to break our military. it is time that the new administration have an end point to whatever we're trying to achieve in afghanistan. so with that, mike, before i close, as i do frequently on the floor, i tell you without pride that i've signed over 8,000 letters in the last six years because of my mistake and giving president bush the authority to go into iraq, think a close

tonight by asking god to please bless our men and women in uniform and i ask god to please bless the families of our men and women in uniform and i ask god in his loving arms to hold the families who have given a child dying for freedom in afghanistan and iraq and, mr. speaker, i close by asking three times, god please, god please, god please continue to bless america and with with that mr. speaker, i will yield back the balance of my time. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: ms. kaptur from ohio. mr. burton from indiana. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia rise? mr. broun: i ask unanimous consent to claim the gentleman's time. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. broun: thank you, mr. speaker. "the hill" newspaper today reports that president obama is

pointing his finger at the republicans, at the g.o.p., for the stalled health care bill. last time i checked, the democrats were in the control of the house. have a 60 majority -- 60-member majority in the senate, and control the white house. clearly the finger needs to be pointed in a different direction . i wonder who the president will blame next for double-digit unemployment and a doubled national debt. we were promised -- promised that the democrats' trillion-dollar stimulus experiment would immediately create jobs and unemployment would not rise above 8%. but in june alone almost a half a million jobs were lost. this has driven unemployment to its highest level in 26 years.

where are democrats going to point their finger at that one, mr. speaker? what happens with when the 6 -- $646 billion energy tax that the leadership in this house rammed through raises energy costs on every american family by over $3,100? when this energy tax is seen in home utility bills and at the gas pump, costing up to seven million americans their jobs, they're going to lose their jobs. which direction will the president then point his finger, mr. speaker? when the administration's multitrillion-dollar health care experiment is shoved down our throats before august, costing as the c.b.o. says more than $750 -- 750,000 jobs, i ask again, which direction will the

president point his finger? the bottom line is that instead of playing the blame game i urge congressional leadership and this administration not to ignore the recent deficit and unemployment news. i urge them to scrap this multitrillion-dollar government health care experiment and takeover and instead work with us republicans, work with us across the aisle to develop a health care plan that helped small businesses create jobs instead of taking away jobs. and give one that gives americans better access to lower insurance costs. work with us to rein in spending and to rein in this egregious, outrageous federal debt. work with us to institute meaningful reforms that will truly stimulate the economic growth and will create jobs for

all americans and not just create more bureaucracy. work with us, mr. speaker, madam speaker, democratic colleagues, work with republicans. we're accused by the democrats of being the party of no. n-o. but republicans are the party of no, k-n-o-w. we know how to create jobs to stimulate the economy, we know how to lower the cost of all health care expenses to americans all across this nation. we know how to help small businesses by leaving dollars in their pockets, cutting their tax base. giving them money that they need to create new jobs and buy inventory. we know how to stimulate the economy by leaving dollars in people's pockets so they can invest in their children's future, their children's college education fund, pay off credit card debts, buy new a cars, buy

new homes. those are the things, mr. speaker that will create a stronger economy. republicans have presented alternative after alternative to the democrat plan. but, mr. speaker, our plans are being quashed by the democratic leadership. it won't see the light of day. it's not fair to the american people that their representatives are shut out of the debate. mr. speaker, we need to return to regular order. we need to go through what historically has happened in this house so that we have appropriations bills that are presented here with an open rule so that members can present their amendments. we need to go through regular order and stop this bringing big bills to this floor through suspension process where they don't have any vetting in the committee process. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired.

mr. broun: we need to return to regular order and go back to what this country was founded upon and that's freedom and democracy. i yield back, mr. speaker, thank you. the speaker pro tempore: mr. burton from indiana. mr. burton: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for five minutes and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. burton: thank you, mr. speaker. the president over the past few days has been telling the american people, trust me, this health care plan we're talking about is going to be a great thing for america, it's not going to cost americans a lot of money, it's going to provide a better quality of care and nobody will be left out. so i decided to go through what the president has promised on other occasions just to see if he deviates from his plans when it's more convenient for him. for instance, let's just go through some of the things he's

promised. he said that the americans and the members of congress would get five days to read bills that were going to affect the american people. we've had bills that we didn't get until 3:00 a.m. in the morning that were 1,100 pages long and we had to vote on them that very same day. there's no way to read 1,100 pages of legal he's and have it understood in just a few hours. he said no lobbyists would be in his administration. there are lobbyists, a number of them, in his administration. he said no taxes on those making under $250,000. that's not true. we've already levied taxes on people under $250,000. he said no earmarks, no pork barrel projects, in the omnibus spending bill which he signed recently there were 8,000, 8,000 pork barrel projects in that bill. he said there was going to be openness on the health care